


"Don't fuck with vampires," said the Hybrid.  "Seriously."

by Demitria_Teague



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: AU, Cat/Human Hybrids, CatHybrid!Minseok, Drama, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Humor, Hybrid!Chen, Hybrid!Exo, Hybrid!Luhan, Hybrids, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Vampires, exoau, hybridau
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-07-10 12:23:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15949271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demitria_Teague/pseuds/Demitria_Teague
Summary: In a co-habitated, futuristic world of Supernatural Creatures, Hybrids Baekhyun and three friends choose a bold vampire as a new roommate, so they can afford their apartment after a raise in rent:  He has to deal with an uninformed fear of Vampires, and learns that, indeed, making assumptions never leads anywhere good.





	1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

  
    LIKE the title says, "Don't fuck with vampires, seriously."  
    My name's Baekhyun and I'm a Firefly Hybrid. I live with Hybrid roommates who weren't as hesitant adding a vampire to the household.  
    "It doesn't matter," Luhan had said. "We need another roommate after that fuck-face upped the rent."  
    Honestly, I couldn't remember fuck-faces' name. Usually, I didn't remember if I hadn't spent significant time with them. I'd said, "I guess the old coot got tired of dealing with our asses."  
    Chen had snorted and said, "Yeah, it's not like we ever paid the rent on time."  
    Xiumin's kitchen chair had scraped the wall as he'd adjusted his legs under the table. The sleep puffiness in his face would've soon disappeared, after his third cup of coffee. He'd blown on it and steam had covered his face for at least ten seconds. I'd expected his response. He'd said, "That's rude. We're the ones who were late."  
    "He didn't do any thing wrong. You all should be ashamed of yourselves."  
    I'd said, "He always had an attitude. The toilet is constantly clogged and there's leaks. The coffee table is bubbled out, because of it. We paid a lot of money for that."  
    He'd rolled his eyes and said, "Chanyeol gave it to us, because he downsized apartments and didn't have room for it." He hadn't made the usual dig about me being dramatic, which I know sleepiness caused.  
    Luhan had rolled his eyes. "We need the money, so roommate. Period."  
    Nods from all but me had ended the conversation.

  
**Now - Three weeks later...**  
    I'VE forced myself to be here, because the roommate had been chosen by Luhan, the second oldest, and the wisest of the group - according to him - and thankfully Xiumin had been present in the interviews. I'd been conveniently unavailable. Now, the newbie would be a surprise, because regardless of personality, they were a vampire. "Tell me again why you picked a vampire?"  
    "You know why, "Chen said. "This area is lacking Hybrids that aren't committed and the others were wrong for our personalities. Too timid or annoying."  
    "Besides," Luhan said. "Vampires are increasing in the area-"  
    "-and why not co-habitat," Xiumin said.  
    My eyes widened and I said, "Because they drink blood." I flailed my arms, saying, "Hello, we have it."  
    Chen said, "There's nothing special about our blood compared to humans. Besides, Luhan and Xiumin said she's registered with the local and outer city blood-banks."  
    Luhan said, "And her background check panned out. She's non-volatile, has never been in trouble. Although..."  
    Xiumin looked at him, and then back at me, "She has a... bold personality."  
    Panic mode kicked in. "What the hell does that mean?"  
    Chen said, "It means she's a straight up person and you had better do your research about their territory thing, and nature."  
    "Why?" Heart beating - fast - knees knocking. "Is she going to..." I couldn't finish the sentence, because non-volatile meant not violent, but bold... What would happen if...  
    Other than the fear of becoming a meal, I knew nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Click KUDOS to support my work.
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> I love Comments... and-  
> -appreciate any support given.
> 
> ~ Demitria_Teague


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

**Arrival Day**  
    MY apprehension to vampires has been well established. Two days later, I awaited what would be a change in household dynamic. I'd researched vampires and the territory thing meant a vampire's domain became theirs: They instinctively claimed the people and area they were in, which meant us and our neighborhood. The knock on the door had me flinching and standing up from the couch. I nearly dropped the remote before turning off the tv. Still holding the remote, I peeked around the half wall separating the living-room from the kitchen.  
    Chen and Xiumin stood from the table and moved to the center of the kitchen, while Luhan went to the door. I gripped the remote tighter as he opened it and whirled around when the tv blasted on. The remote fumbled, and then I turned it off. When I whirled back around she'd already come inside. She reached five-five, four inches below Luhan, had dark blue hair up in a tight worrier blade starting at the hair-line. With it's thickness, I assumed when she let it down it'd reach her knees or further.  
    The corner of my vision flashed gold - my eyelids lighting up. It happened sometimes and I'd never been able to pin-point why. I'd been nervous this whole time and it'd just now happened, and it'd even happened when I'd been happy. But I'm sure it wasn't caused by happiness, nervousness, or any strong emotion. Usually, I only acknowledged it in passing, because specie wise it happened.  
    It passed quickly, but not in time to not draw attention from the vampire. When Luhan welcomed her she looked at him and I felt like hiding in my room.

 **Avoidance Any Way**  
    NEEDLESS to say, I took every opportunity to avoid the apartment. Thankfully, my online business only required a laptop and notebook to work. I'd sit in cafe's, the local bookstore and at the community pool. A week later I meet with a friend I grew up with, Chanyeol. He's a tall, skinny dude, with a deep voice that shocks every one new. It's what's made his voice-over career successful.  
    Not only did he narrate for commercials, but he did geographical animal movies, and my favorite - Fantasy and SciFi audio books. Our conversation began ok, but wandered in to lamented territory: The vampire.  
    Chanyeol said, "So, what's she like?"  
    My hands clinched under the table. "I don't know."  
    "What do you mean you don't know?"  
    Through clenched teeth I emphasized, "I don't know." I ignored the waiter as he refilled Chanyeol's sweet tea. When he left to presumably get me a new coffee I said, "I don't spend a lot of time there."  
    He nodded and said, "Yeah, Chen told me you have some irrational fear of them. What's that about?"  
I sighed, annoyed I had to repeat myself a third time: "I don't know."  
    He chuckled and leaned back. "Well, I guess I can kind of understand. Although, you shouldn't be so quick to judge."  
    "I'm not judging. I am not judging."  
    "If you say so."  
    Glaring, I said, "You're such a pain. Why are we even friends?"  
    "Because our families forced us to play together and eventually we realized that we got along. It's as simple as that."  
    I nodded, glad we were always on the same page.  
    He asked, "So, what are you going to do about the vampire thing, because you can't avoid your apartment forever."  
    "You're right. But I really really don't want to."  
    He leaned his elbows on the table and said, "I met a vampire once. They seemed pretty normal to me... besides the blank expression and they do this thing where they turn their heads like-"  
    I said, "-animals?"  
    "Yeah.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

 

 **Sucking It Up, But Not in the Vampire Way**  
    DAY light made the dark blue kitchen window nearly translucent when I went home. I blew out a breath and put my computer bag on the table. Chen sat on the couch and I could hear computer keys. His job title: Certified Ethical Hacker. He worked for the police to stop other hackers in the station and large corporations that could afford him. Without looking up he said, "She's not here."  
    I scratched my arm and started to speak.  
    "You need to suck it up, Felicia."  
    I scowled. "You suck it up, Marie."  
    He snorted, and he still hadn't looked up.  
    His element of hacking and using his personal brand of encouragement, meant the conversation wouldn't go any where. I flipped my computer bag open and put the laptop on the table. May as well get some work done. I had three current B2C clients which meant Business to Consumer: I reworked the copy (words) on their website pages, so they weren't about them, but what they could do for the clients. It took about three hours to finish, and then for thirty minutes I worked on my novel.  
    I'd self-published a few ebook and paperback novella's, and then a full book to put them in to one. They were Suspense Thrillers targeted to Hybrids and Humans who had a positive co-habitation with them. The current scifi full sized novel would focus on space and technology. Any like it were considered 'A Whirl Wind of an Adventure', and I loved to be trying something new. It be a scrappy crew, a mix of not just hybrids and humans, but also aliens.  
    I'd been so in to it when multiple sharpness on my shoulders startled me. Reflexively my head turned and saw Minseok's tiny teeth, cat-who'd-gotten-the-canary-smile. I liked his fangs. "How's it going," he said.  
    I looked at the laptop and my cheeks warmed. I'd always been confident in my writing skills, even though I'd wrote embarrassing bad stuff as a teenager, and until my skills had improved had I realized it. Though, even now, I became shy when being acknowledge. My parents had thought it a waste of time, with the exception of Chanyeol, childhood friends had zoned out when I'd tried to talk about it. I'd forgiven them, because they hadn't known any thing about writing.  
    I'd had a cousin ask, "Are you still doing that little writing thing." Which had made me angry. Chanyeol's support had kept me going and Minseok's enthusiasm made me giddy. When I'd told him about the space and technology, his favorite kind of books, he'd been just as excited. I said, "It's going well, a little rough, but usually first drafts are." He nodded when I looked at him. "How'd your day go?"  
    His slanted eyes narrowed and the pupil's shrank to a thin line. "My client wouldn't go away. No matter what I did they kept making recommendation. Basically, they thought they knew better than I did, so I fired them as a client. I can't work like that."  
    I liked that he had the confidence to fire clients if they were difficult to work with. His cat nature gave him a fierceness I lacked, unless someone pissed me off. But he let it out immediately and I had a habit of holding it in until I exploded.

 **Agh!**  
    WHEN I hit a groove in my writing I'd do it all day and in to early morning. As focused as I'd been, I'd still heard the door open. Reflexively, my eyes flicked up and the vampire came in. Her blue hair hung to her knees and a braid went over her forehead, the end tucked behind her right ear. The dress had dark yellow lace over the center of her breasts, the long black sleeves stopped in an angle where a band went around her wrists.  
    The long skirt made of plain material hung to her ankles, with a slit that stopped before the top of her left leg. Her heels looked deadly with pointed toes and sharp stands. Her light purple nail polish made me realize her nails grew to a point. I swallowed when she looked at me. Her eyes were an unnatural light green color, surrounded by dark green. Red lined her inner crease and bottom lid to go up the outer side.  
    She looked like any fashionable vampire I'd seen on movies.  
    "You've been avoiding me," she said. Yep, definitely bold.  
    Afraid of offending her, I said nothing. I expected her to say more, but she went to her room. The door shut gently and I sighed in relief.  
    And that had been my first interaction, besides the blaring tv incident. I didn't know how to react. Did I apologize? Could I get over my fear to? 'I didn't know' had become repetitive.  
    I needed to do more research.


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

  
**A New Day**  
    I SLEPT the required four hours before making a Cesoue breakfast, an oatmeal meant to be coated in nectar oil. It came in three colors: Blue, pink and yellow. I liked the yellow one, because the nectar oil made it taste like honey. I stirred it with a long spoon to make a smooth hill. The fragrant steam made my eyes heavy.  
    My tongue narrowed and an indention formed on the end. I'd been thirteen when Cesoue had appeared on the market, and lavishing it had been the highlight of my day. My body became warm inside. As a firefly hybrid, when I chose to glow, my insides heated in a neutral way. I barely felt it and it didn't go to my skin.  
    That afternoon Luhan came home angry. He smelled of glue and sweat. His job title: Glazier. He installed windows and sometimes shower doors. I took one of my headphones out and put the wire over my ear.  
    He liked to vent and after years, I'd learned to half listen to music and half him. The scorpion side peeked through, darkening the blended red and black on his face and arms. His eyes turned black and it always made me want prepare to run, because he had a tendency to break inanimate objects. We'd bought new chairs - with his help, thanks Minseok's influence - and he'd repaired holes in the wall himself. I said, "So, what happened this time?"  
    An unnerving hiss left his mouth and his finger curled claw-like. "How hard is it to take extra care of packages labeled 'Delicate'?" There were three windows broken on arrival and one broken while installing it. I'm glad I'm not paying for that shit. Light gray spread over his lips and his fingernails turned orange.  
    Minseok had gone to work, so calming him down would be nearly impossible. He could've calmed him down with hard logic, but I didn't know how to do that. So I went with the only idea I'd ever used: I attempted to get him to take a run, or go to the gym. He decided to go outside and shoot hoops. I grit my teeth at the slamming door.

 **Hm?**  
    AT first, obviously, the vampire inadvertently scared me, and still did. But, I couldn't help natural curiosity. The vampire had a gift for hairstyles: Every time I'd seen her elaborate styles had immediately drawn attention. I wouldn't ask questions with her home. It'd be awkward, because she had sensitive hearing. She didn't leave that day.  
    I watched her and she watched tv, shot hoops with Luhan (which I only knew about, because they'd discussed it), and stayed in her room for a couple hours. Then she and Minseok went grocery shopping. The next day only me and Chen were at home. He wasn't a work-a-holic like me, so when I got up at noon, he'd been up since five am. Breakfast pizza on the table had been covered in tin-foil.  
    I warmed up three slices and poured nectar oil on it. At first, the sauce and honey flavor confused my taste-buds, but after a few bites I loved it. Chen's red fox tail curled over his bent legs and I sat a cushion down to watch an afternoon talk show.  
    That night I'd realized something shocking. I had taken a shower and drying my hair, I'd come in to the living-room. Luhan had been sitting on the floor and the vampire had been messaging his shoulders. Minseok had been absent, so I got the sick feeling that they were more close than they should be. I'd never believed he'd cheat, but then I'd wondered.  
    Minseok had been at a meet-and-greet lunch with a client, and when he came home I had tried to tell him, but I couldn't. It took me all day and his response surprised me. "You don't remember your research on vampires, do you?  
    "What's that got to do with any thing?"  
    He shook his head and I sensed disappointment with a hint of annoyance. If he felt that way, then I'd gone too far. I had to buck up and fix this.  
    "Just do the research again," he said.


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

**Research**  
    AFTER the conversation with Minseok, I took my laptop to my room. I pulled up the bookmarked pages on vampires and went through them. Some of them mentioned territory being a thing, but not territorial behavior. I searched until I found one: Affectionate, skin-to-skin contact, nurturing, can get aggressive when territory is threatened, dominate in territory. I connected my printer and crossed my arms as I waited. Page still warm, I took it to Minseok.  
    I found him outside and waving it around, I said, "Skin-to-skin contact, dominate in territory?"  
    Amused, he said, "We'd all be aggressive if our "territory" were threatened. Especially, Luhan. Think about it."  
    I could feel my lips pouting. "True."  
    "It will help if you talk to her."  
    "What about the skin-to-skin thing? She's not going to like-"  
    "-Oh for the love of- She not going to rip your clothes off and snuggle."  
    Snuggle? I snorted. He always knew what to say to break an awkward situation. I hated it.  
    That night I came from the shower to the living-room. I froze in the door way. Chen had turned sideways on the couch and he typed as the vampire combed his fuzzy tail. The fur looked shiny and healthy, unlike the usual semi-rats nest. "Nurturing," I remembered.  
    I couldn't deny appreciating the trait, especially if it were pointed towards them. I've always liked to see my friends and family comfortable and taken care of. This time when she looked at me I smiled, I felt affectionately warm. Her green eyes lightened and she said, "We're not watching any thing... if you want to watch a movie."  
    They were a color I'd never seen before and I stared. When I realized she wasn't going to look away my face warmed. "Bold," I thought. I smiled awkwardly, and then nodded. She looked away as I went to the tv. I grit my teeth feeling stupid as I turned the tv at an angle.  
    The back couch was more comfortable to me - move cushion. I rolled the silver ball on the round remote and the tv silently came on. I pressed the profile button and my name came up, then I scrolled to Favorites. A list of my favorite channels filled the screen. I chose a food channel for insect hybrids.  
    Cesoue and nectar oil were delicious, but I kept an eye out for any thing new.

 **Change In Dynamic**  
    Our dynamic improved a little after that. I couldn't help but panic when I saw her move at a blur though. Two months after her arrival things changed. Chanyeol, knowing I bounced from sleeping too less to too much, came over with a light breakfast: Be'-2z [pronounce: Bay-touz-ah] (an oval purple fruit from a farmers market - it grew in fields fertilized in pollen and shined in nectar oil - and it increased endorphins, so it made me more productive - like chocolate for humans), and Jhou [pronounced: Shoo] (a blended with cream, green tea - it just tasted good). He prepared the fruit in large slices, put them on a plate, and carried it to the regular couch - where he'd forced me to sleepily sit.  
    At eight a.m. I remained passive. He ruffled my hair and put the meal on the coffee table. I slid to the carpet and sat crosslegged. The room temperature fruit tasted rich and my eyes felt less heavy as I continued to eat. He sat across from me and I hadn't realized he'd brought his own breakfast until I heard a package crinkle.  
    He bent a bubbly glowing tube and it crackled. It didn't break, but made the concealed juice enter the liquid. He shook it and it went from clear with glowing bubbles to thick and dark blue. I'd seen him do this many times, but modern food-knowledgy (my own word) impressed me. He twisted the dark gray top off, downed it and prepared another one.  
    I watched it rock back and on the table as he unwrapped a toasted sandwich. The liquid kept him hydrated on this warm planet, and the sandwich had little eggs of something and pulled pork. I took a sip of tea to push back my upchuck reflex. I flinched when the kitchen door abruptly opened. A hiss I recognized as Minseok's and a growl I didn't recognize. Chanyeol got up and peeked around the half wall - we really were too much alike.  
    The way he said, "What happened," before he went in to the kitchen had me struggling. My energy betrayed me as I stood and I had to balance on the table, then shuffle to the half wall. I went around it and stopped. The vampire held an unconscious Luhan and Minseok looked furious. His claws were out and his pupils were slits.  
    "Give him to me," Minseok said.  
    She brought him closer to her chest.  
    Minseok growled and so did she. It's the first time I'd seen her fangs.  
    "What the hell happened," I said, and my heart jolted as I realized what I'd done. They both glared at me and I took a step back.  
    Chanyeol, always the brave - nice - one said, "I can take him."  
    Minseok said, "She won't hand him over. She's gone feral."  
    "I am not feral," she said and growled again. "He's-"  
    "He's not yours."  
    She made a noise in warning and headed to her room. Minseok followed and I heard a door slam. Then I heard banging and claw scratching on it. I held on to Chanyeol's arm.  
    What the hell had just happened?


	6. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

 

 **Anticlimatic**  
    MINSEOK had paced the hallways in front of the vampires room for an hour. I'd been scared and had only not left with Chanyeol, because I couldn't let him deal with this alone. Chanyeol, bless him, had stayed for moral support. We were sitting on the couch. At first we'd pretended to watch a movie, and after so long, we'd eventually got lost in it.  
    A few minutes in to movie two, we heard a door open, so we immediately got to our feet and peeked in to the hallway. Holding his shoulder, Luhan stumbled out, and in to Minseok's waiting arms. The door open further and the vampire went to the kitchen. "Take me to bathroom," I heard Luhan say. Then the sound of footsteps and the bathroom door closing.  
    "Does that mean we can leave now," Chanyeol said.  
    I wanted to, but, "Let's wait a little longer. See what happens... and if nothing bad happens, then we can." He nodded and I gave a nervous smile.  
    When they came out of the bathroom, Luhan had an arm over Minseok's shoulders. He looked weak, and I peeked in to the kitchen. The vampire had disappeared. I peeked in to the hallway and caught Minseok's door closing.

Numb  
    WALKING to Chanyeol's car, I said, "So, did you ever see that with the vampire you met - them... making someone unconscious and having their boyfriend fuming at their door, where they've pretty much kidnapped them?"  
    Chanyeol gave me a blank look. Confused at his non-reaction, I watched him go around the car. I wasn't sure where we'd end up, but I trusted him. As we went, I thought about my novel. I wanted it to be spacey and plot fast-paced.  
    I wanted a lot and I planned on doing lots of research to perfect it. I also thought about the vampire and realized something. "Chanyeol what's the vampire's name?" I looked at him and he still lacked emotion.  
    He said, "I don't know, Baekhyun. I haven't been around very much lately, and you don't know her name. So, there's no way I'd know it unless you told me."  
    Feeling stupid, I grinned. "Right."  
    It wasn't like I wasn't worried about Luhan - and Minseok. I mean, come on, Luhan had been attacked by a vampire. She had to of taken a lot of blood. When I'm nervous I become emotionally numb. No one close to me would fault me for it, because they understood.  
    Didn't stop me feeling guilty - when I could feel again.

 **Chanyeol Magic**  
    THAT night Chanyeol had decided to cook for us. My cooking skills were... non-existent. "Please," I said. "Have mercy on me. No eggy things or-" I gagged. "And slimy stuff."  
    He pulled glass jar half full of pink liquid from a cabinet, then a corked glass bottle of clear liquid that looked like a vase from the fridge. I watched curiously as he took a packet from a drawer and shook it. He put it in front of the microwave. I swallowed nervously as he shook the clear liquid. He uncorked it, then measured a cup and put it in a wide glass bowl. Next the entire bottle of pink liquid.  
    He stirred it with a long white spoon, and my eyes widened as it bubbled. The packet turned out to be a powder and I gasped when he added it. The bubbling stopped. It turned clear and gold sparkled like tiny fireworks above it. "What is it," I said in awe.  
    He grinned at me and said, "It's called 'Elan. It means a combination of style and vigour. I saw it on your favorite cooking show and I had to make it for you."  
    My bottom lip poked out. "Why are you so good to me? Wait. What's it taste like?"  
    He looked apologetic. "I tried it, but it tastes like... bland, but I don't like a lot of food from this planet, and my body isn't meant for nectar intake. It's like eating ash or dust."  
    "That makes since." I took the spoon from him and filled it. "What about the sparkles, will they hurt?"  
    "No, it's kind of like Buukka (tiny square candles that crackled in your mouth).  
    "Really?" I loved Buukka. The spoon surprisingly felt gummy on my tongue. The... something liquid made my mouth water from a burst of warm richness I'd never experienced. I gulped it and my tongue tingled from remnants of sparkle.   
    My eyes closed and I moaned. Nectar honey awoke and I moved my tongue back in forth, coating the top of my mouth. My eyes opened heavily and I gave a lazy smile. Chanyeol's eyes were wide and I couldn't look away. His pupil's were dilated and my lips parted as his true color, alabaster, started to consume the human flesh tone.  
    His lips became light purple. Every thing but his pupil's became murky blue. His pupil's sheened like an animals when the sun hits it right. Silver moved from the roots to cover the human black. I said, "You look handsome like this."  
    "You shouldn't hide it."  
    His lips pressed together and his breathing increased. We'd had a thing, sort of, before, but it'd puttered out and we'd naturally returned to friends. We'd had minor conversations about it, but it hadn't been a big deal. Sometimes the attraction came back. Especially, when he did something as thoughtful as this.  
    I spooned more of the liquid. My eyes remained heavy, but I began to feel giddy. A giggle came out and I covered my mouth. The spoon touched my eyebrow, I blinked lazily as yellow went across my eyelashes. The light seemed to go across Chanyeol's shoulders.  
    A magic sound played in my head and I smiled endearingly at him. He looked hesitant. He said in concern, "Are you ok?"  
    I snickered and said, "I'm more than ok. So, this is a nectar based drink?"  
    He nodded and said, "It's a fresh version, not processed like the drizzle you usually use."  
    "Where did you get it?"  
    "From a... friend. He has a health shop on the other side of town. The historical part."  
    "Oh, what's his name?"  
    "Um... Zhang Yixing. And his assistant is Dee Marzden. They're very knowledgeable."  
    "I would like to meet them."  
    He scratched his head. "Right. I'll eventually introduce you. When my schedule allows it."  
    I smiled while nodding. "It's going to be fun."  
    He grinned and looked at the bowl. He handed it to me. I licked my bottom lip in expectation of the thick, rich taste. I swallowed, and then began to drink.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

 

    CHANYEOL'S apartment had a community pool. Because of his species, when he wasn't working, it's where you could find him. The pool lights made the clean water a crystal clear aqua, and the perimeter lights were a soft blue. We were the only ones there. "Yah, Chanyeol," I said.  
    He'd been under water for five minutes. His family had relocated to our planet, Si'melle, when he'd been five. My mother had insisted we meet the new neighbors, and then I play with their weird super white son. In my defense, as a kid, I'd found every one weird. His murky blue eyes had made me want to poke them... or lick them.  
    Turns out I had been the weird one. Honestly, I'd probably contributed to him hiding his true appearance. I swallowed the guilt. I'd been a horrible child. "Yah, Chanyeol."  
    He turned in my direction and even underwater his perfect teeth shone. I shook my head. "Ah, so annoying... to leave your guest alone. I'm not good at entertaining myself." I sighed, looking at the stars.  
    "And I forgot my laptop." I closed my eyes and said, "My precious laptop with my precious babies. Life is horrible." Water went under me, soaking my jeans, and gasping, I lifted up. Chanyeol rose up and crossed his arms on the concrete.  
    Grinning, he propped his chin on his hands.  
    I yelled, "I didn't bring extra clothes you asshole." I leaned back and just yelled. Never had I denied being dramatic. When I looked at him his bottom lip stuck out and his eyes were round. "Don't give me those puppy eyes."  
    "It's not going to work." His giant, wet hands grabbed my ankles, soaking my socks. As he pulled me towards the edge my jeans scraped the concrete. "Agh, stop it. I don't want to get wet."  
    I had nothing to hang on to. And, so I wouldn't hit my head on the edge, once my feet were in, he grabbed my shirt and tossed me. I floated under water with bulging cheeks of air. That annoying bleep bleep bleep. I sighed which became bubbles from my nose.  
    His physiology allowed to easily sink below the surface. He swished a temporary finned foot once and reach me, and then his hair moved slowly as he rolled to face me. I wondered if his species, Ghostteib, hadn't invented water ballet. I'd heard rumors they had inspired the fiction idea for mermaids. Although, I preferred his form to shell bras and creepy long fish-tails.  
    Chanyeol followed me up and we broke the surface. I made a raspberry when releasing air and water drops landed on his face. He shook his hair and way more water hit me. I couldn't win for losing with him. I pushed him and headed for the stairs.  
    He grabbed my left ankle and I yelled again. Laughing, he pulled me back and put his arms around me. I felt his legs moving slow, to keep us up. "Yah, Chanyeol. Why are you being such a pain tonight?"  
    His deep voice startled me: "Because your missing out. I refuse to let you bore yourself. So... I'm not letting you out of here until you're having fun."  
    I sagged. "I should've stayed at home. At least I'd have my computer. Speaking of..." I smacked his arm and he let go. I faced him and said, "...Can I use your phone to call Minseok? I want to know what's happening with Luhan."  
    Looking concerned, he said, "Oh, you forgot your phone to?"  
    "Aaaah, I left it in my laptop bag."  
    He blew air out as he gave an open mouth grin. "Of course you can use my phone." He removed it from his pocket. The clear cellphone could be used underwater, which I'd taken advantage of. I touched the bubble power button and Contacts lined the screen.  
    Minseok picked up on the third ring. "Chanyeol-"  
   "No, it's Baekhyun. How's every thing going?"  
    He sighed and when he spoke he sounded tired. "Luhan is sleeping. I'm not mad any more. I understand what happened."  
    My eyes widened. "You're not mad? Well... what did happen? I'm so confused. I'm afraid to come back home." Chanyeol's head tilted and I gave him a tight smile. I looked at the water to not be distracted.  
    "There's no need to be afraid. Remember your research on vampires?"  
    I made a face, then scratched my head. "Sort of. Tell me and I'll know rather I remember it or not." I grinned. Silence. "It's not my fault I can only retain information, and can only remember it when someone reminds me."  
    Silence. Another sigh. "The vampire protected Luhan, because another vampire had been trying to move in on her territory. The territory being Luhan. She... bit him-"  
    When he's said bit it'd sound like he'd barred his fangs. "-she'd marked him, her territory. Now, if any vampire messes with him, she has every right to... basically, break every bone in their body... or kill them." He sounded like he wanted to do the last part. My eyebrows rose and I nervously smiled.  
    I said, "Right. Well... I might come home tomorrow." I looked at Chanyeol for conformation I could stay for another day." He gave me a look like, "Really?"  
    "Ok."  
    A momentary silence reminded me and I gasped. Before he could hang up, I said, "Hey, what's her name, the vampire's?"  
    Another silence made me think he'd hung up, then I heard, "Melina Barhi."  
    I sighed. "Of course she'd have a cool name. It sounds like a video game character."  
    He huffed, amused, and then cleared his throat. "Well, Luhan's waking up. He got a transfusion earlier and I have to make sure he stays in bed."  
    I swallowed. "He got a transfusion. Geeze, how much blood did she take?"  
    "Too much." The silence thrummed with anger.  
    "Um... w-well, good night and good luck keeping him in bed."  
    "Tell me about it."  
    I laughed, hung up and dropped the smile. How horrible a conversation could you have? She could've killed him. I looked at Chanyeol and said, "I need to go home in the morning. They need me." I told him why Melina had bit Luhan and the transfusion.  
    He seethed, and then made a horrible expression that made me smile. "So," he said. "What time do you want to leave in the morning?"


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight**

  
**After Math**  
    THE next morning I waved goodbye to Chanyeol. He'd hidden his true form again, which annoyed me. I planned on yelling at him for it. He leaned forward to see me better and said, "I'll be checking up on you later."  
    Normally, I'd complain about it, because I didn't need checking up on... But this time I had a situation involving a vampire and my friends - our friends. If he didn't need to go to work he'd spend the day with me. I nodded and gave a nervous smile. His small smile stopped reaching his eyes, which began looking at me differently.  
    I scraped my thumb nail over my my index finger. The attraction thing had woken up again and apparently I wasn't the only one feeling it. Last night also spoke volumes. I chewed on my bottom lip and my eyes flicked to the side. My face heated up.  
Maybe we should talk about this to.  
    After he turned a corner I went to the front door. Ground level apartments were rare, which meant our apartment would be considered ancient. Most were made of more durable metals or plastey materials. Metals weren't my thing, but the plasteys were awesome. They could be used as walls, floors, ceilings - every thing - and holographs could be projected on to them.  
    My favorite were the ones that walked around like actual people. There were alarm clock models, list models, tv reactive models, and even companion models. I liked them all except for the companion one, because some people became addicted and forgot to interact with real people. In my opinion it'd been the worst thing invented.  When my money improved I'd own one.  
    I needed better paying clients.  
    I heard talking inside and blinked a couple of times to come back to reality. Not only had I forgotten my laptop and phone last night, but my key-card, which I'd had copied in to a plastey-card. So, I had to knock to get in to my own home. How sad.  
    When the door opened my eyes widened. Luhan stood there in only black and white stripe sleeping pants. His small eyes were nearly non-existent, which happened when he hadn't slept well. Gauze had been taped on his shoulder and a little blood had soaked through. He didn't look as pale as I would've expected.  
    Looking at the gauze I said, "Are... you feeling better?"  
    His voice sounded like he'd just woke up. "I'm..." He turned and gestured for me to come in. My inside warmed at the sight of my laptop on the table. I sighed and didn't feel guilty.  
    I'd come home and Luhan had answered the door. We were going to talk later, or at least me and Minseok about it all. I followed Luhan to the living room where he layed on the couch. He usually radiated strength and it scared me to see him like this. Even though he seemed strong, because of this I couldn't deny his fragility.  
    Like the rest of us. Vampires were beyond us. This had become complicated for multiple reasons. One: Melina had claimed Luhan to protect him, but could've killed him. Two: She'd come here to help with the rent, and what would it take before they kicked her out?  
    Three: Would she leave if they asked?  
    I knelt by him and said, "H-How... How are you feeling about... all of this?"  
He sighed and opened his eyes. Rubbing his temples with one hand, he said, "I'm not sure. I feel so tired and... I don't know how to process it all."  
    I picked at a lose strand on the couch. "It had to have been scary? Did... I know it had to have hurt?"  
    His smile made me want to get him a pillow and tuck him in. He said, "She didn't scare me. It was the other one. I mean, I know she doesn't want to hurt us, so that makes me feel comfortable around her. But that guy..."  
    "He looked at me like... food. I wanted to gouge his eyes out. If she hadn't been there..." He sniffed. "I'd have died doing at least that much."  
    I grinned. "You're insane, you know that?"  
    His eyes closed and he hm'd in response.

  
 **Scaredy Fly**  
    WHY the vampire...  Her name start with an M, right? ...and Luhan were always doing something shocking in the living room, I didn't know.  But, I found them on the couch, him leaning over.  Rivulets of blood had run down her arm and he'd been drinking it.  His lips were still over the wound.  My heart started pounding and the hair on my body tingled.  
    I didn't know rather to yell or start crying.  The sound of my heart beat must have gave me away.  She looked at me.  My fear made it seem like her unnatural green eyes glowed, and she looked like she didn't appreciate being interrupted.  Luhan's grip on her arm loosened and his eyes flicked to mine.  
    Blood had run down the left side of his mouth and his pupils were dilated.  Breathing hard, I took steps back in to the kitchen.  I couldn't look any more.  Plus, I feared for my life.  I feared for his.  
    Tears blurred my vision as I hurried to get my phone out of my laptop bag.  I kept looking over my shoulder, afraid one of them would come after me.  They didn't.  Outside, I dialed Minseok's number.  That he'd left him alone with her after what she'd done the first time, made me angry.  
    While it rang I wiped tears off.  "Vampire as a roommate," Chen had said.  "We need the money," Luhan had said.  "She's non-volatile," Minseok had said.  They were insane.  
    The phone answered with a click.  Minseok sounded like he had it between his ear and shoulder.  "What is it Baekhyun?  I'm kind of busy."  
    I squeezed the phone harder.  "Luhan's drinking blood."  
    After a tense silence, Minseok said, "What?"  
    "Just what I said.  He's drinking blood.  I saw it.  It I-It It's disgusting.  Is he going to become a vampire?"  
    "Does that mean he has to die?"  
    Another silence.  "I... I don't know."  Angrily, he said, "I don't know.  What the fuck?"  He growled.  "I'll be home in twenty minutes.  Don't let any thing else happen."  
    I stood straight.  "What?  I-I-I can't- I can't go back in there."  
    "Baekhyun, she's not going to just attack you, but I've never read any thing about someone drinking a vampires blood.  I'm getting fed up with Melina, with your irrational fear of vampires, and her always going for Luhan."  He growled and hung up.  I looked at the phone.  
    My default any thing had always been Chanyeol.  I called him and he answered on the third ring.  It all came out in a tearful rush.  
    He said, "Baek, calm down.  I can't understand you."  
    "Luhan- blood- h-he- Minseok- he-"  
    "Baek, calm breaths.  Breath with me."  He inhaled and exhaled.  
    My first attempt stuck in my chest, making it ache.  I gasped, which made me cough.  I tried again.  
    "Come on, sweet heart," he said.  
    Calling me that had always made me feel loved.  It blanketed me and made me feel safe.  
    "Breath slowly."  
    I nodded and the inhale fought to get down, making me feel suffocated.  My lungs burned when I forced it out.  By the third inhale my shaking had lessened.  I followed his inhales and exhales until it didn't hurt any more.  
    He said, "See, now that's better, right?"  
    Nodding, I said, "Yeah.  I'm- I just-"  
    "It's ok, Baek.  I'll come over if you want."  
    "No no.  I- it's ok.  I'll-I'll be ok.  I just... freaking out."  
    He chuckled and said, "Well, you are a firefly hybrid.  Hiding is your thing.  You're not made to fight."  
    That got my attention.  I said, "I am not a bug.  I'm a hybrid and you're a gross, egg eating alien.  So, take that."  
    He let out the laugh that filled a room.  I knew he'd be clapping like a seal, or kicking his feet, or had fallen in the floor, or some inexplicable combination of each.  
    I felt the left side of my mouth tilt.  How did he always make me feel better?  
    When he spoke he sounded out of breath:  "Baek, you-you're so funny."  
    My cheeks heated up and I tightened my lips to keep the smile from growing.  I rolled my eyes and said, "I know and you're a lousy friend.  I'm hanging up now."  
    He gasped and laughed.  "Nuh-no.  I'm coming over after work.  I promise.  Ju-Just go to your room.  It'll be ok."  
    I gulped.  It wouldn't just be ok.  To go to my room I had to go inside.  Him happy made me not want to ruin it, so I said, "Ok.  I'll see you then.  I-"  
    My eyes widened, because I'd nearly said I love you.  It wasn't like I hadn't said it before, but with the way things had been, I knew it'd encourage it.  I did love him and I didn't want to ruin what we'd always had.  
    "You what?"  
    "U-Um- I'll see you then.  Bye."  I hung up and slowly lowered the phone.  I stared at it.  Slowly, I exhaled, and then I cleared my throat.  I shook myself and stood up straight.  
    I said, "I can do this.  I can do this."  I blew out three breaths, and then sucked in a big one.  My chest stayed puffed.  I didn't let it out, because my attempt to build myself up wasn't helping.  
    My lungs ached, so I had to exhale.  I had to take slower inhales to make them stop.  I gulped, looked at the door, gripped my phone and made myself march to the door.  The handle felt cool under my sweaty palms.  My lips tightened and I quickly turned it and opened the door.  
    Luhan stood at the sink.  The water ran and he had a towel pressed to his lips.  He looked at me and panic kicked in.  Leaving the door open I ran to my room.  I locked the door and without turning the light on, I hid under the covers.  With scrunched eyes, I whispered, "Light up light up light up."  
    Warmth bloomed inside of me and behind my eyelids I saw yellow.  I opened my eyes and under my blanket had been illuminated.  Being able to glow had been a blessing.  I wrangled a pillow under the covers and cuddled it.  Minseok would be here soon, and then Chanyeol in a few hours.  
    I'd just stay here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't Forget: Kudos, Subscribe  
> I appreciate any support given, and would love to hear your comments.
> 
> Note:  
> When I started writing this, I had intended it to be a one-shot.  But my stories never freaking cooperate.
> 
> *Pulls hair out.
> 
> Sometimes, being a writer can be daunting.  So.Man.Chapters.  I am finding Baek Adorable though.  He's such a scaredy fly.  Haha
> 
> Until Next time - Happy Reading - and or Writing,  
> Demitria_Teague (Author)


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